Postharvest losses of fruit and vegetables can reach up to 30%, the main cause being microbial decay. For apple fruit, mostly fungal pathogens, such as Penicillium expansum, Colletotrichum spp., Neofabraea spp. and Botrytis cinerea, are important. As such losses are unsustainable in many ways, it is necessary that research is conducted to prevent them. Generally, for plants and fruit grown under non-sterile field conditions, disinfection is carried out prior to the start of a phytopathological experiment. The motivation for this practice is the removal of background contamination so that it will not affect the experimental outcome and its interpretation...

Hybridization is recognized as an important process in plant evolution, and this may be particularly true for island plants where several biotic and abiotic factors facilitate interspecific hybridization. Although rarely done, experimental studies could provide insights into the potential of natural hybridization to generate diversity when species come into contact in the dynamic island setting. The potential of hybridization to generate morphological variation was analysed within and among 12 families (inbred lines) of an F4 hybrid generation between two species of Tolpis endemic to the Canary Islands...

Plant trichomes often function as physical barriers in preventing arthropod feeding and oviposition. Even though insects are frequently reported being entrapped and killed by trichome traps, the actual trapping behavior has not yet been described in detail. Capture experiments showed that capture efficiency during the plant's vegetative stage was considerably higher than in the fruiting and cotyledon stages. The ventral surface of the leaf was more effective in trapping flies than other parts of the plant. Capture-events monitoring showed that the mouthparts, legs, and ovipositor of Liriomyza trifolii adults are the body parts involved in entrapment by surface trichomes on Phaseolus vulgaris plants, and subsequently, deter their ability to feed, walk, and oviposit...

Plants developed receptors for solar UV-A/B radiation, which regulate a complex network of functions through the plant's life cycle. However, greenhouse grown crops, like tomato, are exposed to strongly reduced UV radiation, contrarily to their open-field counterparts. A new paradigm of modern horticulture is to supplement adequate levels of UV to greenhouse cultures, inducing a positive mild stress necessary to stimulate oxidative stress pathways and antioxidant mechanisms. Protected cultures of Solanum (cv MicroTom) were supplemented with moderate UV-A (1h and 4h) and UV-B (1min and 5min) doses during the flowering/fruiting period...

OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were to evaluate the quality of the diet of nondialysis-dependent patients with chronic kidney disease and to investigate the impact of dietary counseling in the quality of the diet of these patients. METHODS: In the cross-sectional analysis, 3-day food records of 100 nondialysis-dependent patients with chronic kidney disease patients, in the first visit to the renal dietitians, were evaluated using the Diet Quality Index (DQI)...

Nowadays, the use of pesticides is inevitable for pest-control in crops, especially the fruit and vegetables. After the harvest from raw agricultural commodities, the amount of pesticide residues in food is mainly influenced by the storage, handling and processing that follow. If good agricultural and good manufacturing practices are enforced effectively, the amount of pesticide residues would be brought below the corresponding maximum residue level. Thus, the consumption of raw and/or prepared fruit and vegetables would be safe...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study analyzed the intake of fruits and vegetables by cooking location and daily meals for Korean children and adolescents. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: For this study, 2,538 Korean children and adolescents aged 7-18 years, who participated in the 2010 and 2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey dietary intake survey (24-hour recall methods), were sampled. RESULTS: The total unsalted fruit and vegetable intake for all subjects was 300 g (aged 7-12 years, 280 g; aged 13-18 years, 316 g)...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This review manuscript examines the burden and national response to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), food and nutrition security in Vietnam from 1975 to 2015. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: We extracted data from peer-reviewed manuscripts and reports of nationally representative surveys and related policies in Vietnam. RESULTS: In 2010, NCDs accounted for 318,000 deaths (72% of total deaths), 6.7 million years of life lost, and 14 million disability-adjusted life years in Vietnam...

The kidneys play an extremely important role in maintaining the body acid-base balance by excreting nonvolatile acids and regenerating and reabsorbing bicarbonate in the kidney tubules. As the individual loses their kidney function, renal excretion of nonvolatile acid produced by metabolism of the diet is impaired, resulting in low-grade metabolic acidosis. With this in mind, it is relevant to better understand the dietary aspects related to the acid-base balance in chronic kidney disease metabolic acidosis and try to provide possible strategies for the nutritional management of these cases...

The aim of this review was to determine the association between carotenoid status and body composition in children 2 - 18 years of age. Obesity is often related to poor dietary habits and lower fruit and vegetable consumption in children. Fruit and vegetables are the primary sources of antioxidant-rich dietary carotenoids; decreased intake may lead to increased risk of chronic diseases. Identifying those with lower carotenoid status in childhood could be an important target for public health intervention. Research methods for the review were conducted using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) checklist and the Central Michigan University library, via multiple scientific databases...

PURPOSE: In Switzerland, prostate cancer mortality is higher in the German than in the Italian-speaking region. We aimed at exploring the association of living in one of the two regions with lifestyle factors presumably lowering the risk of prostate cancer. METHODS: We pooled data from the Swiss Health Survey, conducted every 5 years 1992 - 2012. Information on diet (meat, fish, dairy, fruits and vegetables), alcohol, smoking, physical activity and body mass index were dichotomized into "risky" and "risk-reducing" lifestyle behaviour with respect to prostate cancer...

Objectives: Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a serious public health issue, but limited data has been published to date on the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study aimed to establish the seroprevalence and risk factors of T. gondii infection using a sample of females enrolled at a university in Northern Saudi Arabia. Methods: Using a cross-sectional research approach, we recruited a convenience sample of 180 healthy females studying at the University of Tabuk between February and June 2016...

Background: Intake of fiber and antioxidants and following hypocaloric diets has beneficial effects on reduction of the liver enzymes. Fruits and vegetables are low in calorie and rich in fiber and antioxidants. There are few studies about special dietary effects on liver function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between fruit and vegetables intake and liver function enzymes. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 265 Tehrani healthy adults...

The evaluation of mastication is important to understand the masticatory behavior and diagnose feeding difficulties. The objective of this preliminary study was to verify if there is agreement between objective and subjective validated methods of chewing evaluation in a convenience sample which consisted of 32 adolescents (mean 15.5years), complete permanent dentition and free of tooth decay. The Quality of Masticatory Function Questionnaire with the Food-Mastication, Habits, Meat, Fruit and Vegetables domains was used in the subjective evaluation...

Urban gardening is part of a trend towards more parks and green areas in cities, consumption of organic, locally grown products, and a closer relationship with one's own living environment. Our literature review shows that urban gardens provide opportunities for physical activity and allow people to consume homegrown fruit and vegetables. Urban gardens may also reduce stress levels of gardeners and improve social cohesion. In this way, they can help to prevent health problems. Good quality of urban soil and the functioning of soil ecosystems are indispensable prerequisites for these...

Paraoxonase 1 gene (PON1) polymorphisms and dietary vegetable and fruit intake are both established determinants of ischemic stroke (IS). However, little is known about whether these factors jointly influence the risk of IS. We analyzed the main effects of PON1, as well as the interactions between PON1 and dietary vegetable or fruit intake with the risk of total IS and its subtypes in a family-based case-control study conducted among 2158 Chinese participants (1007 IS cases and 1151 IS-free controls) from 918 families...

PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence of school salad bars in Arizona and to describe common practices of salad bar use among school nutrition managers across grade level. DESIGN: Cross-sectional web-based surveys. PARTICIPANTS: School nutrition managers from elementary, middle, high, and K-12 schools (N = 648). MEASURES: Prevalence of salad bars; implementation practices such as years with salad bar, salad bar type, location, monitor, and reimbursement practices; and food-related components of salad bars including frequency of items, popular items, and sources of food...